The Things That Burn Brightest
by GreenPearl Atlantic Aries
Summary: When Axel's family uproots and moves to Twilight Town, Axel is shattered. Everything he loved was back there and there was no way that this new place could ever replace the home he grew up in. Quickly he finds that life moves on as he makes new friends and memories, but why is the reclusive and somewhat aggressive Xion causing him so much trouble? (Modern AU)
1. Introduction

Up until now, life has been pretty consistent for me. I've lived in the same town I was born in for the sixteen years I've been alive. I've been in the same school district with the same group of friends for the past eleven years, and I've been playing on the same city-league soccer team with the same teammates since the beginning of middle school nearly five years ago. I've lived in the same house with the same parents and brother, gone to the same movie theater on dates, the same corner store for snacks after school, the same Game Stop for video games, and the same Staples for school supplies.

Same, same, same, same, same, same, same.

Most of my friends get sick of the repetition, but I think it's okay. Consistency is stability and I like that. Maybe it's because the only change I've ever experienced was the death of our family's cat and friends moving away. I'm sure if I talked to a therapist they could tell me exactly why I didn't like change. In fact, I probably wouldn't even need to talk to them about it. All I would have to do is mention the words "dislike" and "change" in a sentence together and they would go off about how common it is to fear change, almost as much as speaking in public or death, in fact. Then they would yap for twenty minutes about how avoiding fears will only make them worse before checking their watch, telling you that if you have any more problems to give them a call, and that you can pay at the front desk on your way out. No matter how hard therapists try to convince you they care about you and your problems, their constant counting down the minutes until their next appointment is scheduled to start will always tell you otherwise. I've never personally been to see one of those bone-heads, but I've had enough friends tell me about their experiences that I might as well have.

Now, for some inconceivable reason, my family can't get enough change. They're the kind of people that switch up the furniture in every room in the house at least twice a year, trying new restaurants outside of town every week, and dream of traveling the world. It shouldn't have surprised me when they dropped the bomb that we would be moving far away from our home in just a few short months, but it did.

And my life would never be the same again.

 **A/N: I hope you guys liked this little prologue-chapter-thingy! So I've been planning this story out for some time now and I think it's finally developed enough that I feel confident posting it. :D So because I'm in college full-time and co-writing _Destiny High_ with Boohbear19, I was planning on posting at least once every two weeks. That just gives me enough time to continue getting good marks and, of course, time to produce the best content possible! The first couple of updates may take a little longer than the later ones just because I'm getting situated into the story, but I hope to get onto a constant posting schedule after the first three or so chapters. :) **

**I haven't written much more than what you see here right now, but I have the skeleton of the story sketched out. I always like using reviewer feedback to help me sculpt the story as we move along through it together, so I'll probably write a chapter ahead of the one I post to give me a little bit of flexibility while still being able to (hopefully) keep with a pretty regular posting schedule. ANYWAY, I hope you guys like this little blurb, I should be posting the first "official" chapter sometime early next week. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

I fumbled with my box cutter, wanting nothing more than to finish opening these last few boxes and sleep for the next three years undisturbed. When I finally punctured the tape, I tore the stupid thing open and slumped to the ground, out of breath from the fight. Who would have ever thought opening boxes would be so tiring? I peeked inside and saw that it was my book collection. I grabbed the first novella I saw from the top of the stack and kicked the box towards the bookshelf I had put together this morning. _The Awakening_ by Kate Chopin. Hmm… out of all the books in my collection, _The Awakening_ was the only one I've read just once. It was just too damn depressing. A woman who discovers her true destiny in life, only to then realize that that destiny dooms her to unhappiness for the rest of her time on this Earth. It was difficult to push through even when I was in a positive mindset, if I were to try reading it now… I'd probably lose it.

I tossed the book onto my bare bed and went over to the bookshelf, unloading the packed books onto it in order from largest to smallest. It didn't look like there were as many as there were when they were all lined up on the bookshelf; I had to have at least fifty books of various sizes and genres, but the shelf was so massive they barely filled up two of the five long shelves. I'd have to put my textbooks and some notebooks up there to fill up some extra space until I could buy some more. I turned around and sat with the back of my head resting against one of the empty cherry wood shelves. I scrolled through my text messages, making sure I didn't miss any while I was unpacking all morning. _0 New Messages._ Of course. I sighed and opened my messages anyway. The last message I got from anyone other than my father or Demyx was from Larxene, two weeks ago, the day after we left. _Hope the move goes well, Axel. Stay in touch!_ I swiped a hand down my face and locked the screen. Who the hell am I kidding? They've already forgotten about me, no question. It was still summer vacation, it's not like they could even use the excuse that they were too busy with school to send me a text to see how I was doing with the change. All it took was ten seconds. Ten. I will admit, I've never been one to respond to texts quickly, but that's because I was never more than twenty minutes away from the person texting me. When you're hours away you'd think they could put in a little more effort than absolutely none at all.

I walked over to the cushioned window seat, sitting down and looking out at the street below. This place was so different than Radiant Garden, there was no doubt about it. Radiant Garden was so homey and beautiful, but this? It felt so industrial, so not… me. There were no clusters of trees in people's lawns, or broken down cars in driveways, surrounded by neighbors coming together to help fix it. It felt plastic, like a perfect little doll town. I pulled my legs up onto the seat with me, drawing my knees up to my chin. In front of our driveway, four kids were walking by, chatting and laughing, like they didn't have a care in the world. I wonder if they go to Twilight High. Maybe they'll be in one of my classes. There were two short boys, a blonde and brunette that were about the same height, a bony girl with pretty red hair, and a tall boy with snowy white hair who had to be at least twenty. Maybe they _didn't_ go to Twilight High, if they were hanging out with a twenty-year-old. I watched them for a few more minutes, until someone stuck her head out of the front door across the street and waved for the four to come see her. They were talking in a circle when the woman that called them over pointed to our house, causing the four to all turn and take a look. A blush crept to my cheeks and I gave them a nervous wave, not wanting them to think I was being creepy. The brunette boy smiled wide enough so that I could see it across the street and gave a huge wave. He looked so happy. A knock on my door startled me, and I swung my legs off the cushion so I was facing the entrance into the hallway.

"Hey, Axel, can I come in, Honey?" My mother's sweet voice barely penetrated the thick wood door.

"Yeah, Mom, you can come in." The door slid open without a creek, and Mom's petite frame stood in the doorway. Her long, dirty blond hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a tattered old T-shirt and yoga pants.

"Hi, Sweetheart. I haven't seen you all morning, how is the unpacking going?" Her gentle smile was bright, but her grey eyes looked tired. She'd probably been working around the house since she woke up. She always was the kind of person that would work until midnight if she knew she could get something done that day.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I've been unpacking since I got up this morning." I nodded over toward the pile of empty boxes in the corner of the room. "I'm getting there, I should be unpacked by dinner."

"That's good! That's good." She walked over to me and took a seat where my feet had been on the bench. "So how are you liking the house?" Her voice was softer now, as she looked out the window, examining the houses around hers. I bit my top lip as I gave it some thought.

"I guess I like it." I lied, trying not to sound as depressed as I felt. Her eyes popped over to me, and she looked a little upset, so I added: "I'm just gonna need some more time to get used to it." She half grinned.

"I know, Honey, it's going to take some time for all of us. I'm just glad to hear you're liking it so far. Your father just got home from grocery shopping and got some pizza if you want to come down and have some."

"Sure, I'll grab a slice."

Dad and Demyx were sitting next to each other along the long granite island, laughing and munching as they talked about how much they have unpacked. I grabbed a seat next to Demyx at the end of the island, pulling over a plate and cracking open a can of orange soda. Demyx smiled at me as I sat down and immediately picked up a slice of pepperoni pizza between two napkins and plopped it onto my waiting plate.

"Axel, you look beat." My dad pointed out, taking a sip of his drink. "How are you doing unpacking? Need any help?"

"It's going. I only have a couple more boxes left to unpack before I'm done."

"Whoa, really?" Demyx looked surprised. "I still have a ton of boxes left to unpack." Dad laughed and reached over for another slice.

"That's because you unboxed your PlayStation first and have been fooling around on it all day instead of working, am I correct?" Demyx laughed awkwardly and took a sip of soda, smirking over the lip of the can.

"Maybe…"

"So, boys, now that it's only a week away, are you ready for school?" Mom walked into the kitchen, removing the rubber gloves she'd been wearing and tossed them into the trash. She pulled the bandana over her mouth down to her neck and sat down in the chair next to Dad. Demyx slid a plate with two slices of mushroom pizza her way.

"I'm so excited!" Demyx beamed. "The Twilight High soccer team is one of the best in the country, the school band is _huge_ , and the jazz band is top notch. I can't _wait_ to start." Dad laughed and pat Demyx on the back, smiling along with him.

"That's awesome, Champ! You and Axel will get onto the soccer team no problem, don't you worry. I know Jazz Band needs guitarists, but does the concert band?"

"Well, no. I emailed the band director and he said I could borrow a saxophone for the year since the school has an extra." His smile grew. "I'm _so_ excited." Dad saw that he was wrapped up in his own little dream world, so he turned to me.

"So how about you, Axel? I don't know if you're this excited," He said sarcastically, nodding to Demyx and chuckling. "but how do _you_ feel about starting school next week?" By the time the sentence was over, his voice had become low and more serious than I was used to. When I didn't give an immediate answer, Mom looked over to me, too, looking as concerned as she could with a slice of pizza in her mouth. I looked down at my plate of unfinished pizza and shrugged.

"I guess I'm excited." That was a blatant lie. I wasn't excited, how could I be? I was hardly able to look at my freaking cell phone without becoming a depressed mess, how on Earth was I supposed to handle going to a completely new school with _all_ new people. They sat on the edges of their seats, waiting for me to expand. When I didn't, Mom pouted.

"Uh, hey, do you guys mind if I go back up to my room?" Mom laid her pizza onto her plate and dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her pristine napkin.

"Axel, are you alright?" This broke Demyx out of his trance and he looked over at me, too. My cheeks turned red as the stage lights were put on me and I rose to my feet.

"Yeah, of course, Mom." Her worry lifted immediately. If only it were that easy to wash away depression. She always was like that, though, able to quickly return to a state of ease. It came in handy when Demyx and I were kids, even now as teenagers. If we ever broke a potted plant while playing soccer in the house, or came home late from a date, she would give us a quick smack on the wrist and have the whole incident forgotten the next day. Easy as that. All of our friends were always jealous that we had such a laid-back mom, especially since most of our friends didn't score well on tests. They wished their parents would let those poor grades slide, but they never did. "I just _really_ want to finish unpacking those last few boxes, just thinking about them is driving me insane."

"Oh, Axel!" Mom cheered, smiling brightly. "If you keep up this go-getter attitude you'll do wonderful in your courses this year!" Dad pat me on the back, and took my plate from me, bringing both of ours to the trash. Mom put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me down to her height, kissing me on the cheek. "Go on and finish up, Honey, come and get me if you need any help." I thanked her and retreated to my room, closing the door behind me and sighing in relief.

I flopped down onto the bed, face first, and rested my head on my hands. I _have_ to get my shit together. My body felt heavy, but my head felt light. This is really going to be one tough year if I can't get over this change thing. Mom, Dad, and Demyx were so happy about the move, in fact, I've never seen them happier before. EVER. So, I should be happy too, right? Everyone is telling me I should be happy about this, but I just don't fucking know how! They tell me the old house was old, and small, especially for the kind of money my parents make. They also tell me that I need to experience more than a little town all my life; they say I need to be exposed to more culture. This new house is much nicer: a three-story with champagne colored panels, a pristine lawn, and beautiful pink rose bushes that line the driveway. Not only was our house beautiful, but the entire neighborhood was filled with gorgeous homes with the same pristine lawns, groomed plants, and smiling families. The houses weren't all the same by any means, but they all had the same air of regality to them. But so what if everything here was bigger than back home? This would never be home because all of my memories were back in Radiant Garden. All my friends, all the memories I made, all the fun I had, they're all back there!

I closed my eyes as I rolled onto my back, looking up at the burnt orange ceiling. All my friends… they're probably all at the beach right now, partying the last week of summer vacation away together. A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I brushed it away. And what about those kids I saw earlier today? Were they enjoying the tail end of their summer?

I fell asleep before I could think about it further.


End file.
